Or you may know her for those super-long dreadlocks she's been cultivating for ten years. Yep, TEN YEARS. But she's willing to disentangle those babies for a good cause.
You're losing the dreads to raise money for Beyond Blue... awesome cause/ and effort. Are you ready to go dreadless?
I'm not sure! I keep fluctuating between freaking out and being super excited. I have absolutely no idea what my hair is going to look like, and that in itself is a scary thing. But, if I can raise even a little money and awareness for such a good cause then it's worth it.
What motivated the decision?
Last weekend was the ten year anniversary of my dreadlocks. I know, weird that I know the exact date, but conveniently it's also one of my best mates' birthdays. I've been tossing up the idea of ditching the dreads for the past few months, and it seemed like a good time to do it. Then I thought I'd just raise the idea of doing it for charity, and the response was so overwhelming that I couldn't say no! Ditching the dreads to help Beyond Blue 'ditch the dread' — that's a pun I couldn't deny!
The response... how has it gone so far?
You've almost reached your $$ goal, right? I have been absolutely blown away by the response, support and donations so far. Within three hours I'd raised $300, in two days I'd hit $2,000. My goal is $5,000 and so far we're super duper close to that number. Of course, the more the merrier, so if we can smash over $5,000 I'd be ecstatic! People are awesome! And generous! It's been so fabulous to see so much support.
Any surprises along the way with the types of people who have donated?
It's been a mixed bag. Friends, colleagues, listeners, lovers of dreadlocks, haters of dreadlocks... Overall everyone has been supportive, with quite a few people offering to pay me to keep them. They can't keep up with the number of people paying me to lose them though! Also, the puns on the donation page are gold. Well worth checking out.
The dreads in question.What sort of grief are you copping from work colleagues and friends? Honestly, most people are just excited to see what the hell I look like without locks! I think they're secretly hoping it's awful, because really, what's the fun in looking better after sacrificing such a big part of your physical identity?! I've had a few people wanting me to make a hat out of my dreadlocks, so that I can just BYO dreads to appropriate functions.
Did you factor in that we're in the middle of Brisbane's winter (as mild as it is)... do you have a nice supply of turtlenecks?
Oh absolutely! Winter is the best time for beanies! If it all goes horribly wrong I'm prepared — I've already invested in a bunch of new beanies, hats and scarves. It might just be my new look for a while!
Ten years with dreads... what's the one thing you’re most looking forward to about not having them dangling around your shoulders?
Two words: head massage. A friend has actually already booked one in for me once I'm done with the dreads. Ooh, I get goosebumps just thinking about how awesome that's gonna be!!
Will you be double-taking when you look in the mirror?
Definitely!! I have absolutely no idea what my head is going to look like after this and I think it will definitely take some time to get used to! I might start a tally of how many mates walk past me in the street without realising, too. ;)
Sarah will be ditching the dreads tomorrow, Saturday June 21. Visit her donation page here. It’ll remain open for another week or so to accept donations.
